2014 NN community mock draft: With the 37th pick, the Atlanta Falcons select ...

We're back for the 37th pick of the 2014 Niners Nation Community Mock Draft. You can see previous picks below in the draft table. You can also follow the mock draft board through this story stream.

With the 37th pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, CheekeeMunkee and the Atlanta Falcons select Carlos Hyde, RB, Ohio State. He also considered some alternates:

1st Alternate - Trade up for OT Cyrus Kouandjio. Atlanta has a few areas of need left to address, and none are bigger than a great tackle to solidify their offensive line. Kouandjio would be the one guy worth grabbing at this spot over another area of need, if he were available, and could be THE missing piece that could make their line formidable. If Kouandjio were available to them, I think they wait to get a RB.

2nd Alternate - Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington. With the departure of Tony Gonzales, the Falcons are obviously in need of a pass-catching threat at tight end. If they choose to pick up ASJ in the second, they should be able to fill that void quite nicely and have a reliable pass catcher for years to come.

3rd Alternate - Ra'Shede Hageman, DT, Minnesota. Hageman would give the Falcons some flexibility and much needed push on the interior of their front seven, regardless of which alignment they should choose to employ on a given down or situation.

Here are his thoughts on the pick:

I've got to say once again that I really do not see Thomas Dimitroff just standing pat at pick number 37, as he has been plenty open and vocal about moving up to get his guy whenever and wherever he has been able to do so. Did someone say Julio Jones... ? In that same spirit, I have to believe that if Dimitroff and the Falcons see whatever offensive line help that they covet flying rapidly off the board before this pick in round 2, they attempt to make a move at jumping up to solidify the tackle position.

I would not be surprised at all to see them pick Cyrus Kouandjio, OT from Alabama at this range in the draft, but I should also note that I would not be surprised to see them mortgage their 2015 first round pick to be able to draft both Hyde and an offensive lineman if they value both players enough to do so. I believe that Thomas Dimitroff prides himself on being crazy enough to do whatever is necessary to get his guys, so I would be at least mildly surprised to see the Falcons still picking at this spot when draft day rolls around.

All trade projections aside though, I do see the best option for the Falcons at this point of the draft (without trades, that is) being the best, or most effective all-purpose RB in this year's draft; which is Hyde. Hyde is a back that is not afraid to get north and south, has enough speed to make a move on defenders when necessary, and is more than adequate as a receiver out of the backfield. He is a very capable blocker, and with his frame (6', 230"), there should be little doubt in his ability to withstand the beating he will take in the NFL... and also the one that he will dish out.

Hyde ran for 1,527 yards as a senior despite missing the first three games, and became the first running back for an Urban Meyer-led team to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, which says plenty about his ability to take advantage of his opportunities, whether limited or not limited by other backs. I think that the Falcons would not hesitate to make this pick, as they already tried to bring in a similar type of back in Steven Jackson last year. With Hyde, the Falcons would not have to worry about whether Jackson will stay healthy, and when Jackson IS able to stay on the field, they would then have a two-headed monster at RB that could wear down defenses well into the fourth quarter of any game, on any field condition. A relative weakness instantly turns into a position of strength, which would definitely help the Falcons less than stellar O-Line.

In this scenario, I see the Falcons going with Hyde over an offensive lineman simply due to the talent left to justify the 37th pick. I think that Hyde gives them much better value, and I believe that they can help to shore-up their O-Line with a more balanced approach, a la Green Bay last year with Eddie Lacy. Now, I know that Green Bay should not be a bench mark for a successful offensive line, but with the offensive weapons and creative offensive minds that the Falcons have on staff, I believe that they could also benefit from this approach, while addressing their O-Line later on as well.

The fact that the Falcons finished the 2013 season ranked dead last in both rushing attempts and yards is not wasted on that coaching staff, and qualifies as as big a need as they have going into this year. Steven Jackson was brought in to wear down defenses and bring a stabilizing presence to the Falcons rushing attack, but instead it was he himself that ended up wearing down, with 543 yards in 12 games started. With the 30-year old Jackson being the current number one RB on the roster, I think that Hyde is as safe a bet as there is with this pick. I don't think the Falcons would regret it.

Nick Chiamardas: Yes, it's true that Stephan Jackson is getting old but the Falcons have bigger holes to fill than RB this early in the draft. Sure they land Hydewho many believe to be the top RB in this year's class. But with the devaluation of RBs over the last few years and more and more teams having success with late round RBs it's hard to justify this pick. Plus, it's unlikely that Hyde unseats Jackson meaning the Falcons are missing out on other talent that would potentially start right away. I like the idea of Hyde not having to tote the rock exclusively but with TE Jace Amaro and some talented safeties still around it would be hard pass on that in favor of Hyde.

Round 1

1.		wiseguy545	Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina [Full Story]
2.		El Shorts	Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn [Full Story]
3.		9er4life22	Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville [Full Story]
4.		Boss Clifford	Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson [Full Story]
5.		Mark Balliet	Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M [Full Story]
6.		CheekeeMunkee	Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo [Full Story]
7.		TopFlightSecurity	Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M [Full Story]
8.		Hoopers Judge	Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida [Full Story]
9.		jmart7	Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina [Full Story]
10.		germinator	Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA [Full Story]
11.		49feelinfine	Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State [Full Story]
12.		superk0725	Taylor Lewan, OL, Michigan [Full Story]
13.		El Shorts	Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama [Full Story]
14.		BryKno	Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh [Full Story]
15.		SigepPT49er	C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama [Full Story]
16.		Mira Loma Maulers	Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M [Full Story]
17.		JMichael39	Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State [Full Story]
18.		Desert Dog Runner	Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State [Full Story]
19.		albert.55	Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame [Full Story]
20.		MidnightSpecial	Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville [Full Story]
21.		Rowingdave	Ryan Shazier, OLB, Ohio State [Full Story]
22.		MisterEclectic	Jason Verrett, CB, TCU [Full Story]
23.		Rowingdave	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU [Full Story]
24.		BearAKA	Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech [Full Story]
25.		CraigRED&GOLD	Louis Nix III, DT, Notre Dame [Full Story]
26.		Boss Clifford	Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State [Full Story]
27.		Roy_from_Israel	Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri [Full Story]
28.		dave.bocchino	Allen Robinson, WR, Penn State [Full Story]
29.		49ersCusefan	Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State [Full Story]
30.		Tre9er	Dee Ford, DE/OLB, Auburn [Full Story]
31.		ak4niner	Xavier Su'a-Filo, OG, UCLA [Full Story]
32.		timmyg24	Morgan Moses, OT, Virginia [Full Story]

Round 2

1. (33)		wiseguy545	Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, Eastern Illinois [Full Story]
2. (34)		THETONY#1	Cyrus Kouandjio, OT, Alabama [Full Story]
3. (35)		Boss Clifford	Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State [Full Story]
4. (36)		Mark Balliett	Kyle Van Noy, OLB, BYU [Full State]
5. (37)		CheekeeMunkee	Carlos Hyde, RB, Ohio State [Full State]
6. (38)		TopFlightSecurity
7. (39)		9er4life22
8. (40)		Hoopers Judge
9. (41)		jmart7
10. (42)		49feelinfine
11. (43)		superk0725
12. (44)		El Shorts
13. (45)		germinator
14. (46)		SigepPT49er
15. (47)		Mira Loma Maulers
16. (48)		JMichael39
17. (49)		Desert Dog Runner
18. (50)		albert.55
19. (51)		BryKno
20. (52)		MidnightSpecial
21. (53)		Rowingdave
22. (54)		MisterEclectic
23. (55)		BearAKA
24. (56)		Tre9er
25. (57)		CraigRED&GOLD
26. (58)		Roy_from_Israel
27. (59)		Cnnrvydt
28. (60)		dave.bocchino
29. (61)		Tre9er
30. (62)		49ersCusefan
31. (63)		ak4niner
32. (64)		timmyg24